Hotel Review: Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast

Well, the Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast (112 High Street, Cambridge, Maryland 21613) isn’t a hotel, but I did stay there while exploring Dorchester County, Maryland.  In all of my travels, surprisingly, I’ve never stayed at a bed and breakfast.  So I was excited this would be my first time, yet I was unsure about exactly what to expect.

This was also my mother’s first time staying at a bed and breakfast, so she was a little hesitant when she learned we’d be staying at the Cambridge House.  Nevertheless, we decided it’d be a new experience for us both and found solace in the fact that we’d only be staying for one night if it turned out to be less than stellar. Luckily, our fears were completely unfounded. We enjoyed our stay and I’m happy to report that my first bed and breakfast experience was a great one.

PROS

Location

Cambridge House is perfectly situated near downtown Cambridge.  You can leave your car parked and walk a short distance to plenty of restaurants and shops. They have a small gravel parking lot in the back if you don’t want to park on the street, but there’s plenty of street parking available.  It’s also quite close to the waterfront, so you’re able to take a morning stroll and visit the Choptank River Lighthouse.

Clean

Since I didn’t have the greatest experience with my first Airbnb stay, I was most worried about the room’s and bathroom’s cleanliness.  We stayed on the first floor in the Governor’s Room.  The room was perfectly clean and tidy, and the bathroom was spick and span.  Whew!  It’s also worth noting that the Cambridge House has their own line of soaps and shampoos if you’ve left yours at home.

Our room even had a door leading to an outside patio, where there was a table for two to enjoy passersby.

Great Breakfast

Breakfast was served between 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.  I was expecting a buffet, but to my pleasant surprise, all guests were served individually by the innkeepers at the dining room tables.  They offered water, coffee, and various types of teas and juices.  We started breakfast with sliced apples topped with a homemade cranberry compote.  Then we were served homemade blueberry pancakes with a side of crispy bacon.  It was so good that I ate everything on my plate…which is also why I don’t have any pictures.  I ate too fast!  Oops.

Since we were among the first guests to arrive at breakfast, we sat at the larger dining room table with a couple visiting from Pennsylvania.  The other two guest couples came down a little later and while they sat at the two adjacent tables, the whole dining room evolved into one big conversation.  I enjoyed talking to and learning more about the other guests and what brought them to Cambridge.  This is an experience you don’t typically get at a hotel and actually turned out to be my favorite part about staying at the Cambridge House.

Friendly Innkeepers

The owners and innkeepers, Jim and Marianne Benson, were very accommodating and friendly.  They immediately welcomed us with open arms and gave us tips on what to see and do while visiting Cambridge.  I learned that they were world travelers in their past life before deciding to operate the Cambridge House.  Jim and Marianne also have an active and friendly dog, Max, who made it feel like a real home.

CONS

Noisy Neighbors

The only con is that you may have noisy upstairs neighbors if you stay on the bottom floor.  It wasn’t really bothersome to me because I’m not a light sleeper, but my mother was slightly perturbed by our upstairs neighbors pacing the floor at 3 a.m.  But that’s no fault of the B&B and I imagine it doesn’t happen very often.

Other Things to Know:

• There’s a hot tub on the porch to enjoy during warmer months.
• There’s free wi-fi.
• They have DVDs, CDs, games and books if you need to entertain yourself.
• There is cable television in each room, which is always a plus in my book.
• There was a guest refrigerator that we were able to put our leftovers in, which really came in handy.

OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5 cocktails

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast and highly recommend booking a stay if you’re visiting Cambridge.  My mother also enjoyed her stay and said it opened her eyes to hotel alternatives.  I think staying at the Cambridge House will positively contribute to your overall experience in the quaint and friendly town.  Tell them we sent you!

While this trip was hosted by Dorchester County Tourism, all opinions are my own. 

Hotel Review: Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino

I had done plenty of research before booking the Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino.  It had 4 out of 5 stars on Expedia and Renaissance is a trusted Marriott brand, so I knew I’d be in good hands.

Upon pulling up to the Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino, it fit right in with the colorful local decor that has become a signature of Curacao. It sits near downtown Willemstad, so it’s in the perfect location for walking to shops, restaurants and visiting the city sites.  So what are the pros and cons of this hotel?

PROS

The Infinity Beach

What can I say about the infinity beach…other than it’s absolute perfection.  PERFECTION.  Heaven on earth.  I’m not exaggerating.  If for no other reason you stay at the hotel, it should be for this infinity beach. The actual beach is too deep to swim and frolic so the hotel built a faux beach complete with warm water, sand and fake algae.  It was great!  It was so life-like that I didn’t even miss the real beach.

Casino
A hotel casino is always a plus.  Always.  Trust me.  It had it all: slots, tables, and free cocktails.  The casino wasn’t overly crowded, which may not have been so good for them ($$) but I hate a crowded roulette table, so it was perfect for me.  And the minimums were about $5, which is perfect for the budget-conscience traveler.

Starbucks on site
When your hotel has a Starbucks on site, it automatically wins.  Again, trust me on this.

Location
The hotel is located in an area of Willemstad that allows for easy access to downtown.  It’s a great place to stay if you value being close to shops, restaurants, bars and the floating markets.  It’s also very close to the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge, which is quintessential Curacao.

Cons

Wifi only in public areas

Would the Renaissance like to join us in 2014?  Not having free wifi in guest rooms is so 2009.  There’s only free wifi in public areas like the lobby and the pool.  But seriously, what year is this?  A hotel should have free wifi, everywhere…period.  It’s not up for debate.

Food & Drink Prices

While the food and drinks were delicious, I was stunned by how expensive they were.  I do expect there to be a bit of markup because it is a resort; however, the breakfast buffet was about $30 and food prices at the pool ranged from about $13-$18.  In my opinion, that’s a tad high, especially if you have a family to feed.  With that said, the food & drinks were delicious…especially the drinks.  Make sure you try the mojito and the mudslide!

Overeager Housekeeping

The housekeeping service knocked on our door at 8 am for cleaning.  8 AM!  I understand they have a schedule to keep with lots of rooms to clean but 8 am is wildly unacceptable, even without the “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Other Thoughts:

• Check-in and check-out was easy.

• Double Queen Rooms were average-sized. Not too big, not too small.

• Not pet-friendly.

• Staff were friendly & attentive.  Keep in mind, you are in the Caribbean so everyone moves on Caribbean time.

• We asked for an upgrade because it was my friend’s birthday, and they offered it to us at a discount.

OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5 cocktails

The hotel should really lose more than 1 cocktail for not having free wifi available everywhere, but it more than makes up for it with the infinity beach.  #willdrinkfortravel highly recommends this hotel if you’re ever in Willemstad, Curacao.